Machine for treating rubber and similar material



.D.. R. BOWEN AND C. F. SCHNUCK.

MACHINE" FOR TREATING RUBBER AND SIMILAR MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED 001218. 1917. RENEWED AUG. 3|. 1920.

1 ,358,702. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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IN l/E/V TOR 1 ,358,702, Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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DAVID R. BOWEN, F ANSONIA, AND CARL F. SCHNUCK, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTI-CUT, ASSIGNORS T0 FARREL FOUNDRY AND MACHINE COMPANY, OF ANSONIA,

CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR TREATING RUBBER- AND SIMILAR MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 16, 1920.

Application filedOctober 18, 1917, Serial No. 197,191. Renewed August31, 1920. Serial No. 407,221.

; clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to machines for treating rubber and similarmaterial, and it pertains especially to machines for mixing,masticating, working or kneading rubber which is to be used for variousindustrial purposes. The invention pertains more particularly tomachines of the type shown in our application, Serial No. 193,186. Inthat application there is described a rubber mixer or like machinehaving a plurality of auxiliary chambers or containers adapted tocooperate successively with the working chamber, whereby the machine maybe operated with great economy of time and labor. For this purpose themachine described in the aforesaid application is provided with aworking chamber having an opening in the lower part thereof, and arotary magazine having a plurality of upwardly opening chambers orcontainers arranged beneath the Working chamber, so that by rotation of'said magazine the auxiliary chambers or containers may be brought intoalinement with the opening of the working chamber for charging ordischarging of the material. The magazine may be moved lengthwiseof itsaxis by a special fluid pressure cylinder and piston, so that the rim ofone auxiliary chamber or container may be held in leakproof contact withthe rim of the opening of the working chamber. While the working chamberand the auxiliary chamber are held in such leak-proof communication witheach other by the cylinder and piston aforesaid, a follower in theauxiliary chamber or container is actuated by another fluid pressurecylinder and piston in such a manner as to charge the material into theworking chamber from the container, hold it in contact with the bladesof the rotor, and then permit the discharge of the treated material fromthe working chamber into the container by lowering the follower afterthemixing operation has been completed.

The primary object of the present invention is to simplify and improvethe construction shown in the prior application above mentioned.

More specifically, the object of our invention is to-furnish a machineof the type in dicated having a single means for moving a chargecontainer relatively to the working chamber, and for operating afollower or the like in said charge container. Such an arrangementsimplifies the machine con struction considerably, as well as theoperation thereof, and reduces the number of parts. :1

Again, our invention is intended to furnish a rubber mixer or likemachine in which a single fluid pressure device is adapted to causerelative movement between the work ing chamber and a charge container,and to cause a movement of the material from the container or auxiliarychamber into the working chamber and vice versa.

To these and other ends, the invention consists inthe novel features andcombinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a rubber mixing machine embodying ourimprovements; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical, transverse section of the machine.

We have shown our improvements applied to a rubber mixer which is verysimilar in its general features to that disclosed in our application,Serial No. 193,186, but it will be understood from the followingdescription that the type of the machine may be considerably variedwithout departure from the invention. In the embodiment shown, a workingor mixing chamber ,10 is supported between suitable pedestals or endframes 11 which extend upward from a sub'base 11 the lower end of thepedestals or end frames being-located at about the floor level. In theexample shown, the working chamber is constituted by asingle cylinderhorizontally arranged, in which is located a central mixing element orrotor 12 having a shaft with bearings in the respective end frames. Themachine may, however, comprise two or more communicating cylinders, eachhaving a rotor therein, or it may have a still difierent arrangement ofthe mixing or Working parts without departure from the scope of ourinvention, which concerns itself primarily with the means for chargingand discharging the chamber, or Space of whatever form, in which thematerial is workedor mixed. In order to facilitate an understanding ofthe description, however, it may be said. that, in the particularexample illustrated, the working cylinder and rotor are of the typedescribed and claimed in our application, Serial No. 191,413, theworking chamber being constricted intermediate of its ends by atransverse constriction or rib 13, and the rotor having blades 14 atopposite sides of the rib adapted to mash the plastic material againstthe side wall of cylinder 10 and to extrude such material alternately inopposite directions through the restricted extrusion space provided bysaid rib. The chamber 10 is divided diametrically into an upper section10 and a lower section 10 said sections being interconnected by bolts10.

The working chamber 10 is intended to be charged and discharged at thebottomthrough an opening 15 provided in the lower section 10 of thechamber, and communi- 'cating with the working space, and the chargingand discharging device hereinafter described is adapted tocooperate witha chamber having such an opening, although the filling and dischargi gopening or Openings may be otherwise located without departure from theinvention. In the form shown, we use a magazine chargin and dischargindevice involving a plurallty of auxiliary c ambers or containers 16located below the opening 15 and adapted to turn about a central axis.The auxiliary chambers, of which two are provided in the presentinstance, are similar to each other, being formed as compartments in agenerally cylindrical receptacle or magazine 17 adapted to turn about.thejaxis of an upright shaft 18. The chambers 16 are oreated bydividing the receptacle or magazine 17 diametrically by a partition 19through which shaft 18 passes, each auxiliary chamber being, therefore,of substantially semi-cylindrical shape. The lower end of the shaft 18has a bearing 21 in the sub-base 11 and the upper end of shaft 18 has abearing in a detachable bar 22 applied to the lower section 10 of theworking chamber along the straight edge of the opening 15, which openinghas a segmental shape correspondiri to the cross-section of thecontainers 16. he bar 22 is detaehably held in place by bolts 23, thearrangement being'such that by removing bar 22, in which shaft 18 hasits upper bearing, said shaft may be tilted out- Wardsomewhat atitsupper part, so that it When the magazine is supported ontheballbearing 24, the central lower surface of the partition 19 engagesthe upper surface of the ball-bearing. In Fig. 2, we have shown themagazine raised upwardly from the ballbearing, so that the opening ormouth of' one of the containers 16 is held in leak-proof contact withthe rim of the opening 15. When the parts are in the position shown inFig. 2, the upper edge of the partition 19 is in tight contact with thelower surface of the bar 22 across the straight edge of the containermouth, whereas at the curved edge of the container mouth a rabbeted rim16 is provided, which makes leak-proof contact with the rabbeted rimportion 16 of openin 15.

. ach of the auxiliary chambers or con tainers 16'is provided with apiston, follower, or bottom 25, which is movable up and down therein.These pistons or 1fol-.

lowers correspond in shape to the segmental cross-section of therespective containers.

Each piston or follower is preferably provided with suitable packin toprevent leakage. The lower end of each container is open, as well as theup er end, but the corresponding piston or ollower is prevented fromfalling out of the lower end by a suitable stop 26. Each of the pistonsor followers 25 is adapted to be moved up and down, whenthecorresponding container is alined with the opening 15 by a relativelystationary fluid ,pressure mechanism associated with the sub-base 11",located for the most part below the floor level. For this purpose adownwardly extending cylinder 27 is supported from the sub-base in afixed position, in substantial alinement with the opening 15, saidcylinder being provided interiorly with a piston or plunger 28,substantially as shown in our application Serial No. 193,186hereinbefore mentioned. The piston or plunger 28 has a large piston rod29 extending upwardly therefrom through a movable head or gland 30 atthe follower 25.' As the receptacle 17 is rotated about shaft 18, thefollowers 25 will successively slide into operative engagement with thedisk 31 as each container comes into alinement with the working chamberopening 1.5. The gland 30 is movable up and down in the upper end ofcylinder 27 for the purpose of raising and lowering the receptacle ormagazine 17. To this end, the gland is provided at its upper part withone or more upwardly directed prongs or extensions 33, adapted to engagethe under party of the magazine. In the particular form shown, we haveonly illustrated one prong 33 on the movable gland, which prong isadaptedto engage under the peripheral portion of the magazine, as shownin Fig. 2. Suitable packing will preferably be associated with the jointbetween the piston rod 29 and the gland for the purpose of preventingleakage.

The fluid pressure device 27, 28 may be actuated hydraulically, forexample. For this purpose suitable operating connections, such as showndiagrammatically in Fig. 2 may be provided. Water under pressure comesin through an inlet pipe 34 having a branch 35 communicating with thespace beneath piston 28, and a branch 36 communicating with the space ofrelatively small cross-section around the piston rod 29. Water admittedto the cylinder by way of branch 36 acts on quite a small area of piston28 at the upper face thereof, whereas water admitted to the cylinderthrough the branch 35 acts on the piston 28 over a much greater area atthe lower face thereof. In the branch 35 is a double acting valve 37,which in one position establishes communication between the pipe or main34 and the cylinder, while in another position it cuts off suchcommunication and permits exhaust of the cylinder throu h a pipe 38. Asimilar valve 39 is used in the branch 36. In one position, the valve 39establishes communication between the inlet pipe and the cylinder, andin another position said valve cuts oif such communication and permitsexhaust of the cylinder through an exhaust pipe 40.

In order, to lock the magazine in either of two positions, in whicheither one or the other of the containers 16 is in exactalinement withthe opening of the working chamher, we employ suitable latch mechanism41, which may be similar to that disclosed in our prior application,Serial No. 193,186. The latch mechanism is shown in Fi 2 but omitted inFig. 1. As such mec anism forms no part of the present invention we donot consider it necessary to describe it in detail in this application.

The operation of the machine is substantially as follows:

Supposing that both of the valves 37 39 are so turned as to exhaust thewater from the cylinder 27,'the upwardly sliding pres.-

sure member or gland 30 will occupy its lowermost position, in which itsflange rests by gravity on the upper end of cylinder 27.

The magazine 17 will be lowered slightly from the position shown in Fig.2, with its central part resting on the ball-bearing 24. It will be solocated relatively to the working chamber that the mouth of one of thecontainers 16 will be'alined with but slightly below the working chamberopening 15, the magazine being held in this position by the latchmechanism 41. Material can then be charged into the outer container 16,viz., the one at the right of Fig. 2, from the top, and the latchmechanism being released, the magazine is swung by hand horizontallythrough 180, so as to aline said container with the working chamberopening. Just as the magazine reaches this position, the latch mechanism catches and holds it. Fluid under pressure being admitted throughbranch 36 prong or prongs 33, and this downward pressure on the gland,which is assisted by gravity, prevents the gland from moving upwardunder the influence of the water introduced into the cylinder throughpipe 36. Suppose now that water is introduced into the lower part of thecylinder 27 through pipe 35 by opening valve 37, such water will act onthe large area at the lower face of the piston, and the pressure will besufiiciently great to overcome that acting on the small upper pistonarea, whereby the piston and its rod 29 will be forced upwardly. In thismanner, the follower 25 in the left-hand chamber is moved upward,carrying upward the material above the same, and such material isthereby charged into the working chamber through the opening 15. As soonas fluid under pressure is admitted beneath piston 28 and the same ismoved upward to a slight extent, carrying with it follower 25, the gland30 is free to rise and does so under pressure of the water in the upperpart of cylinder 27, thereby moving the upper end of the left handcontainer into leak-proo f engagement with the rim of opening 15 andholding it in such engagement. This occurs before the material on top offollower 25 reaches the upper part of the container. As the follower 25continues to move upward, the material is delivered from the container16 into the working chamber past the joint between the container and theworking chamber. The rotor 12 in the working chamber is continuouslyrotatedand the fol I lower 25, acted onby the fluid pressure deinto theworking chamber in an upward direction, but it holds the material incontact with the rotor blade or blades throughout the mixing operation,for which purpose the pressure underneath piston 28 is continuedthroughout such operation. As the follower '25 is forced upward bypiston 28, the pressure water in the space above the piston is forcedout into the system, while still under pressure, by way of the branch36. When the mixing has been completed the valve 37 is manipulated torelease the pressure below piston 28, and the valve 39 remaining in theposition" to which it is first adjusted, the

pressure on the upper piston face, assisted by gravity, causes thepiston to carry the follower 25 downward again. In this way thedischarge of the treated material from the mixing chamber through theopening 15 is permitted, the material adhering to the rotor falling downinto the container 16 by gravity, or bein thrown off, or stripped off bythe rib 13. follower has descended to its initial position in themagazine all of the material in the mixing chamber will have beendischarged into the container on top of said follower. As the followerreaches the limit of its downward movement in the container, it bringsup against the stop 26 and the magazine as a whole is, therefore, pulleddownward, sliding on shaft 18 until it brings up against theball-bearing 24. As the magazine moves downward, it pushes down on theprong or prongs 33, and the-downward pressure on the gland 30, assistedby gravity, causes said gland to move down out of the way of themagazine, so that the magazine will be pulled out of engagement with themouth of the working chamber in an effective way to prevent sticking.While the material in the left-hand container is being charged into theworking chamber, mixed and discharged, a new batch of material is placedin the righthand container. The magazine then being in the loweredposition, the latch mechanism is released and the magazine is swungthrough 180 to carryone container into position for charging the newbatch of material, while at the same time the batch of treated materialis moved to a position 'in which it can be readily taken out ordischarged from its container.

It will be understood, of course, thatas the magazine 17 is swung on itsaxis, one of the followers 25 swings out of engagement with the disk 31of fluid pressure device 27, 28, and the other follower swings intoengagement with said disk.

It will be understood from what has been said abovei'that after themachine has once been placed operation the movement of the charge'container relatively to the working chamber-enacts operation of thefollower or charging member 4 associated with sually by the time thatthe the container will be controlled in a very simple and effective waymerely by opening and closing valve 37 or a similar controlling device.In the example illustrated, this valve, when in one position, actuatesthe piston by the applicatlon of pressure to the larger of two differentpressure areas, thereby overcoming a pressure which is continuouslyapplied to the smaller piston area and causing the container to be movedupward by the movable gland concurrently with the upward movement of thefollower in the container by the hydraulic iston. When the valve is inthe other position, the pressure on the large piston area is releasedand the pressure on the small piston area then becomes effective tolower both the follower and the charge container preliminary to anotheroperation.

Various modifications may be made in the structure herein illustratedand described Without departure from the scope of our invention asdescribed in the claims.

, We do not claim broadly'herein a rubber mixing machine having aworking chamber with an intermediate extrusion rib and a rotor havingblades at opposite sides of said rib, as claimed in our application,Serial No. 191,413; nor do we claim broadly herein a rubber mixer orlike machine having a working chamber and a pressure operated chargingdevice for said chamber located at the under portion thereof, as claimedin ourapplication, Serial No. 192,030; nor do we claim herein a machineof the character described having a working chamber, an auxiliarychamber communicating therewith,- and a piston in the auxiliary chamberhaving a face adapted to conform to the curvature of the workingchamber, as claimed in our application, Serial No. 192,619; nor do weclaim broadly herein a rubber mixer or like machine having a magazine ofcharge containers, as claimed in our application, Serial No. 193,186,previously identified. Furthermore we do not claim herein the method ofmasticating rubber or vsimilar material which comprises subjecting themass to a mixing extrusion action, as claimed in our application SerialNo. 223,537.

What we claim is:

1. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a

working chamber, a charge container, and a single means for moving thecharge container relatively to the working chamber and for carrying thematerial from the charge container into said chamber.

2. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber, a chargecontainer, and a single device for causing relative movement of thecontainer and working chamber and for shifting the material in thecontainer.

3. In arubber mixer or like machine, a Working chamber, a chargecontainer, and a single device including a fluid pressure cylinder andpiston for moving the container and chamber relatively to each other andfor causing a shifting movement of the material in the container.

4. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber, a movablymounted oon-' tainer arranged exteriorly thereof but adapt- .ed tocommunicate therewith and to hold and charge the material, and a commonmeans for shifting said container relatively to said working chamber andfor moving the Lnaterial from said container into said cham- 5. In arubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having an opening in itslower portion, a movable container adapted to communicate with saidworking chamber by way of said opening, and a common means for movingsaid container into leakproof contact with said chamber and for forcingthe material from the container into the chamber.

6. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having anopening, a movably mounted container adapted to communicate with saidopening and having a movable follower therein, and a single deviceforshifting said container relativel to said chamber and for operating saidfo lower.

7. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a

working chamber having an opening, a movv ably mounted'container adaptedto communicate with said opening and having a movable follower therein,and a fluid pressure device for shifting said container relatively tosaid working chamber and for operating said follower.

8. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having anopening, a movably mounted container adapted to communicate with saidopening and having a movable follower therein, and means including afluid pressure cylinder and piston for moving said container toward saidopening and for operating said follower.

9. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having anopening, a con tainer movable axially toward said opening andhavingamovablefollower therein, and

means located in the axis of said container for shifting it toward saidopening and for operating said follower.

10. In a machine of the character de scribed, a magazine having aplurality of compartments, movable followers therein, and a common meansfor shifting said magazine bodily and for actuating said followers.

11. In amachine of the character described, a working chamber, a movablemagazine having a plurality of compartments adapted to communicate withsaid chamber successively, movable followers mounted in the respectivecompartments,

and a single fluid pressure means for shifting the magazine relativelyto the working chamber and for operating the followers.

12. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a movable magazine, a pluralityof charging devices associated therewith, and a common means forshifting themagazine and operating said charging devices. k i 13. In arubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber, a charge containerlocated beneath the same, and means located beneath said chargecontainer for shifting the same.

14. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a working chamber having anopening in the lower portion thereof, a charge container movable up anddown beneath said opening and adapted to communicate therewith, and

means located beneath the charge container for moving it upward intocommunication wlth said opening.

15. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a

working chamber having an opening in the lower portion thereof, a chargecontainer beneath said opening, and a fluid pressure device locatedbeneath said charge container for moving it upward toward said workingchamber so that it will communicate with said opening.

16. In a rubber mixer or like machine, a charge containerhaving afollower, a fluid pressur device having a movable piston member and amovable gland member,

means for connecting the container with one.

scribed, a vertically movable container, and.

a fluid pressure device beneath the same having a movable glandcooperating with said container.

20. In a machine of the character de-' scribed, a bodily shiftablecontainer having a movable charging device, and a fluid pressure devicehaving two separately movable members for shifting said container andactuating said charging device respectively.

21. A machine having the elements enumerated in claim 20, wherein one ofthe separately movable members of the fluid piston and the other ispressure device is a a movable gland. V I 22. A rubber mixing machinehaving a mixing machine in which a ber, the latter being provided with asuitable rotor.

24. A rubber mixer having a fluid pressur device for causing relativemovement 15 of the charge container and working chamber and for movingthe material from the container into the chamber. 7

In witness whereof we'have hereunto set our hands on thelOth day ofOctober, 1917. 20

DAVID R. BOWEN. CARL F SCHNUCK.

